Strategies to diminish the risk of accidents when driving at night

If possible avoid driving at night…

Driving conditions are remarkably different in the night time, vision is reduced and it can be more difficult to see vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. If you are driving at times when you would usually be asleep then you are in much greater danger of falling asleep behind the wheel.

 

Why road users crash at night

Road casualty statistics show that 40% of collisions occur in the hours of darkness. The danger of falling asleep at the wheel is a significant factor at night and accounts for 20% of serious accidents on motorways and monotonous roads in Great Britain.

The table below shows the number of casualties during night time hours.

 

Road user casualties between 7pm and 6am

	Fatal Injuries	Serious Injuries	Slight Injuries	Total Casualties
Motorcyclists	93	997	2,584	3,674
Car Occupants	339	3,080	29,951	33,370
All Road Users	668	6,116	40,589	47,373

There are always dangers to being on the road at night, but if you have no choice, here are some tips on how to reduce the risk of driving in the dark.

1 Plan in advance

If you have to drive at night then plan the journey in advance. If you are going with other people who can legally drive the vehicle, then consider sharing the driving.

2. Well rested

Ensure that you and any other drivers are well rested before the journey and book overnight stops where necessary. Avoid driving at times when you would usually be asleep.

 

3. Care about glare

One important trick is to keep your windshield clean. "Make sure it's clean inside and out," Even if you don't notice it in the daytime, at night you'll be able to see the dust and small particles. When you clean your windshield on the outside, your wiper blades aren't enough. Once a week, use a special glass cleaner and wipe it clean". Another trick that's easy to do is to dim your dashboard's lights, so they're not distracting or too bright.

4. Glare can also come in the form of oncoming cars

If there's a glare that hits your eyes, it can blind you for a short amount of time.Avoid looking into the other car's lights - better you look over on the other side, so normally what would be the right side." If a car from behind is blinding you with its lights, tilt your rear-view mirror to avoid having the reflection of the light pointed right at your eyes.

5. No driving when tired

It goes without saying, but it's the mother of all prevention tips: don't drive when you're tired! And don't think chewing gum or chugging an energy drink will magically make you more alert.

 

6. Maintain your lights

 It's possible your headlights are pointed in the wrong direction, which means they could be bothering other drivers and not lighting the road in front of you. Regularly check that your lights are properly aligned.

7. Slow down best Mantra

 You can only see as far as your headlights at night if you're on an unlit highway, and if you're driving on the highway at the speed limit, your low beams won't cover the distance needed to brake if you need to stop quickly. It's called over-driving your headlights, and accidents can happen when you don't see potential hazards in time. "It's like bad weather - at night drive slower according to your situation.

8. Break every 2 hr.

You will also need to plan the route, and rest breaks at least every two hours. As mentioned, there are very few situations where drivers fall asleep at the wheel without prior warning, and to counter this you could also plan regular places along the routes where you can pull off – so that if you do become fatigued, you will have planned somewhere safe to get rest

9. Decreased visibilities

The most obvious danger of night driving is decreased visibility. The distance a driver can see is shortened and so hazards can often seem to appear out of nowhere. It also takes time for the eyes to adjust to the darkness after being in a lit building or after driving on a well-lit road.

10.No night driving for young drivers

Young drivers who have not built up experience of night time driving are especially more susceptible to collisions at night. Novice drivers can take a further driver training scheme called Pass Plus, which contains a night driving module and will provide some of the skills necessary for safe night driving.

Conclusion:

The most obvious way to avoid the dangers inherent to night driving is to simply not drive at night – and if the trip is necessary then other forms of transport such as rail, air, bus or coach may be safer if they are available.

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